Sadio Mane backs Mohamed Salah to recover from World Cup comeback

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has backed Mohamed Salah to recover from Egypt’s group stage exit at the summer World Cup. The 25-year-old was being fancied to star for his nation at the tournament but it was not meant to happen with a shoulder injury hampering his gametime for the Pharaohs.

Salah was left out on the bench during the late 1-0 defeat to Uruguay in the opening game and although he scored from the penalty spot against Russia, they eventually suffered a 3-1 loss which ousted them from the tournament. Salah and co. still have another consolation game against Saudi Arabia before returning home and Mane has now wished the best for his teammate for the future.
“I sent him a message about a week ago, he’s a player who really wanted to play during this World Cup. Unfortunately, he arrived suffering from injury and I was wishing him the best but he’s a very strong guy mentally. He did fight hard, he came back to help his country. Unfortunately they struggled but it’s football, you have to live with it. I wish him all the best for the future and at the moment of course it’s normal for him to have difficulties, that’s football,” he said.

Unlike Salah, Mane has had a strong start with Senegal who managed to shock Poland with a 2-1 victory. The 2002 quarter-finalists played toe-to-toe with the European heavyweights and they have now put themselves in a strong position to qualify, should they secure a victory over Japan in their second group stage game.

Meanwhile, Poland and Colombia will tussle each other in the other encounter and one of the pairing could potentially bow out of the World Cup, should Senegal secure the maximum points versus the Japanese. Senegal and Nigeria are presently the only African nations to have picked up victories at the World Cup.